Carrier carton with hollow, recessed center retaining member for cylindrical objects



Nov. 9, 1965 F. A. CHIDSEY, JR

CARRIER CARTON WITH HOLLOW, RECESSED CENTER RETAINING MEMBER FORCYLINDRICAL OBJECTS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 13, 1963 K722497116 7*:frarz as (Z fz'dsqg 2r 1955 F. A. CHIDSEY, JR 3,216,612

CARRIER CARTON WITH HOLLOW, RECESSED CENTER RETAINING MEMBER FORCYLINDRICAL OBJECTS Filed Dec. 13, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov. 9, 1965 F.A. CHIDSEY, JR 3,216,612

CARRIER CARTON WITH HOLLOW, RECESSED CENTER RETAINING MEMBER FORCYLINDRICAL OBJECTS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Dec. 13, 1963 United StatesPatent 3,216,612 CARRIER CARTON WITH HOLLOW, RECESSED CENTER RETAININGMEMBER FOR CYLINDRI- (ZAL UBJECTS Francis Arndt Chidsey, In, Devon, Pa.,assignor to (Jontainer Corporation of America, Chicago, Ill., acorporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 13, 1963, Ser. No. 336,420 8 Claims.(Cl. 22il-115) This invention relates to multi-pack cartons formed ofpaperboard, and more particularly to an open-end, sleevetype carton forholding two parallel rows of generally cylindrical objects, such as cansor bottles, arranged in side-by-side relation.

The invention comprehends an improved center retaining member on onewall of the carton adapted to restrict the movement of the containersrelative to the carton wall.

An object of the invention is the provision of a tubular carton, formedfrom a unitary blank of foldable paperboard, having a hollow retainingmember form-ed integrally with one wall of the carton and extendinglongitudinally of the carton between a pair of rows of packagedarticles.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide, in a carton ofthe type described, a hollow, integral, center retaining member formedon one wall of the carton and having alternately spaced article engagingand article non-engaging portions, the former of which are provided witha longitudinally extending contour line cut through at least a portionof the retaining member to permit the sides of the retaining member todeflect inwardly and assume the general contour of the articles betweenwhich the center retaining member is compressed.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from anexamination of the following description and drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a carrier carton having a centerretaining member embodying features of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary, longitudinal, vertical section taken on line22 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary, longitudinal, horizontal section taken online 3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is vertical section taken on line 44 of FIG- URE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective View of an article engaging section of the canretaining member illustrated in the other views;

FIGURE 6 is a plan view of a blank from which the carrier carton of theother views may be formed;

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged view of a portion of the blank illustrated inFIGURE 6, showing that part of the structure which is also illustratedin FIGURE 5;

FIGURES 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 are similar to views illustrated in FIGURES2, 3, 4, 5, and 7, respectively, but illustrating a modified form of theinvention; and

FIGURES 13 and 14 are fragmentary perspective views similar to FIGURE 1but illustrating yet other forms of the invention.

It will be understood that, for purposes of clarity, certain elementshave been intentionally omitted from certain views where they arebelieved to be illustrated to better advantage in other views.

Referring now to the drawings for a better understanding of theinvention and particularly to FIGURES 1 and 2, it will be seen that thecarrier carton illustrated in FIG- URE 1 may be formed from a singleblank B of foldable paperboard illustrated in FIGURE 6 of the drawings.

The carton is of the sleeve-type and includes parallel spaced top andbottom walls and 12, respectively,

3,216,5l2 Patented Nov. 9, 1965 which are interconnected by a pair ofspaced parallel side walls 14 to define a tubular structure, open at theends, adapted to hold in side-by-side relation two parallel rows ofcylindrical articles such as cans A having at one or both ends thereofperipheral flanges or chimes C projecting outwardly therefrom.

Still referring to FIGURE 1 it will be seen that one wall of the carton,in the case of the carton illustrated in the drawing is the top wall 10,is formed from a pair of generally co-planar outer and inner to}: wallpanels 16 and 18, respectively, which are hingedly connected at theiroutboard edges to the upper edges of related side walls 14 and whichhave their inner portions disposed in overlapped relation and adhesivelyinterconnected as at 19.

Referring now to FIGURES 1 through 4 it will be seen that top wall 10 isprovided with inwardly projecting center retaining member 20 which isformed from the inner top wall panel 18 and which may extendlongitudinally for the entire length of the carton.

The center retaining member is preferably rectangular or trapezoidal incross-section and may be formed by a series of folds in the inboardportion of inner top wall panel 18 which provide an inner panel 22,disposed parallel to and spaced inwardly from top wall It and a pair ofside panels 24 which, together with the related portion of outer topWall panel 16, form a four sided, hollow structure.

As best seen in FIGURES 2 and 3, the longitudinal center retainingmember is divided into a plurality of alternately spaced articleengaging sections and article non-engaging sections 26 and 28,respectively, one of the article engaging sections and parts of theadjacent nonengaging sections being illustrated more clearly in FIG- URE5.

Still referring to FIGURE 5, it will be seen that article engagingsection inner panel 22 is provided with a longitudinally extendingcontour line 30 cut at least partially through the inner panel andhaving at the ends thereof pairs of similar, relatively short contourlines 32 which cooperate with each other and with the fold linesconnecting the inner panel of the retaining member to the side panels topermit the areas of the side panels 24 adjacent the contour lines to bedepressed or deflected inwardly when compressed between a pair of cansof opposed rows. As these surfaces of the members side panels assume thegeneral contour of the articles, they act to prevent the movement of thearticles longitudinally of the carton. Also, to prevent the movement ofthe articles vertically of the carton the side panels 24 of theretaining member, in the article engaging sections, may be provided withlongitudinally extending openings 36 disposed immediately adjacent topwall 10 and adapted to receive peripheral portions of the can chimes C.

Thus, it will be seen that by providing the longitudinal centerretaining member with the spaced contour lines it is possible to deflectthe sides of the retaining member inwardly at each pair of cans to formpockets which receive the cans and prevent their movement longitudinallyof the carton, and at the same time by providing the openings 36 thevertical movement of the cans is limited or prevented.

In the event the carton is used to package cans having chimes at bothends thereof the carton may be provided with a plurality oflongitudinally spaced chime receiving openings 40 located at the cornersbetween side walls 14 and bottom wall 12 of the carton.

In order to prevent the chimes of opposing pairs of cans from ridingover each other both bottom and top walls 12 and 10 of the carton may beprovided with inwardly projecting partition flaps 42 and 44,respectively, which are cut from the respective Walls and projectinwardly at right angles thereto between the rows of cans. In the caseof the top wall partition flaps 44, the flaps actually project into thehollow retaining member.

In order to facilitate lifting and carrying of the carton, top wall 10may be provided with a pair of conventional finger grip openings 46.

Turning now to FIGURES 8 through 12 of the drawings wherein isillustrated a modified form of the invention it will be seen that thecarton construction is similar to that of the other views with theexception of the structural arrangement of the article engaging sectionsof the center retaining member.

As best seen in FIGURE 11 the retaining member is provided with a pairof contour lines 30a which are cut completely through the inner panel 22to permit the related portions of the side panels 24 to deflect inwardlyand form pockets for receiving portions of the articles between whichthe retaining member is compressed to limit or prevent movement of thepackaged articles.

Turning now to FIGURES 13 and 14 it will be seen that various ways areshown for obtaining the material for forming the center retainingmember.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGURE 13 the center retaining memberis formed entirely from stock taken from the inner top wall panel 18awhich has been provided with a plurality of parallel crease lines toform retaining member inner panel 22a side panels 24a with the outersurface of the end portion of panel 18a being adhesively secured to theinner surface of the related top wall outer panel 16a.

In FIGURE 14 a similar arrangement is used to form the center retainingmember out of one of the top wall panel sections. However, in the caseof FIGURE 14 the outer top wall panel 16b has an end portion 17extending inwardly at right angles thereto and secured to the side panel24b of the center retaining member. In each of these arrangements theformation of the article engaging sections of the center retainingmember is formed in either of the two previous manners.

I claim:

1. An open end, generally rectangular, sleeve-type carrier carton,formed from a unitary blank of foldable paperboard, for holding twoparallel rows of generally cylindrical articles in side-by-siderelation, comprising:

(a) opposing pairs of spaced walls hingedly interconnected to define atubular structure enclosing the ends and sides of the articles;

(b) one of the walls enclosing the ends of the articles being formed ofa pair of generally co-planar panels;

() said panels having corresponding outboard parts hingedly connected torespective adjacent walls of the carton;

(d) said panels having inboard parts interconnected and arranged to forma longitudinally disposed center retaining member extending inwardlyinto the carton, throughout the entire length of the carton, between thetwo rows of articles;

(e) said retaining member having an inner portion and a pair of sideportions which form, with an adjacent portion of said one wall, a hollowstructure having article engaging and article non-engaging sectionsalternately spaced from each other longitudinally of the member;

(f) the non-engaging sections of said retaining member beingsubstantially trapezoidal in cross-section;

(g) the engaging sections of said retaining member each having at leastone longitudinally extending cont-our line out at least partiallythrough said inner portion to accommodate the inward deflection of theside portions of the engaging section when they are compressed between apair of articles of opposed rows, so that the side portions assume thegeneral contour of said articles;

(h) said engaging sections having in each side portion a longitudinallyextending opening disposed adjacent said one wall for receiving aradially outwardly projecting part of the related article.

2. An open end, generally rectangular, sleeve-type carrier carton,formed from a unitary blank of foldable paperboard, for holding twoparallel rows of generally cylindrical articles in side-by-siderelation, comprising:

(a) opposing pairs of spaced walls hingedly interconnected to define atubular structure enclosing the ends and sides of the articles;

('b) one of the walls enclosing the ends of the articles being formed ofa pair of generally co-planar panels;

(0) said panels having corresponding outboard parts hingedly connectedto respective adjacent walls of the carton;

(d) said panels having inboard parts interconnected and arranged to forma longitudinally disposed center retaining member extending inward-1yinto the carton, throughout the entire length of the carton, between thetwo rows of articles;

(e) said retaining member having an inner portion and a pair of sideportions which form, with an adjacent portion of said one wall, a hollowstructure having article engaging and article non-engaging sectionsalternately spaced from each other longitudinally of the member;

(f) the engaging sections of said retaining member each having at leastone longitudinally extending contour line out at least partially throughsaid inner portion to accommodate the inward deflection of the sideportions of the engaging section when they are compressed between a pairof articles of opposed rows, so that the side portions assume thegeneral contour of said articles;

(g) said engaging sections having in each side portion a longitudinallyextending opening disposed adjacent said one wall for receiving aradially outwardly projecting part of the related article.

3. An open end, generally rectangular, sleeve-type carrier carton,formed from a unitary blank of foldable paperboard, for holding twoparallel rows of generally cylindrical articles in side-by-siderelation, comprising:

(a) opposing pairs of spaced walls hingedly interconnected to define atubular structure enclosing the ends and sides of the articles;

(b) one of the walls enclosing the ends of the articles being formed ofa pair of generally co-planar panels;

(0) said panels having corresponding outboard parts hingedly connectedto respective adjacent walls of the carton;

(d) said panels having inboard parts interconnected and arranged to forma longitudinally disposed center retaining member extending inwardlyinto the carton, throughout the entire length of the carton, between thetwo rows of articles;

(c) said retaining member having an inner portion and a pair of sideportions which form, with an adjacent portion of said one wall, a hollowstructure having article engaging and article non-engaging sectionsalternately spaced from each other longitudinally of the member;

(f) the engaging sections of said retaining member each having at leastone longitudinally extending contour line out at least partially throughsaid inner portion to accommodate the inward deflection of the sideportions of the engaging section when they are compressed between a pairof articles of opposed rows, so that the side portions assume thegeneral contour of said articles.

4. A generally rectangular, sleeve-type carrier carton, formed from aunitary blank of foldable paperboard, for holding two parallel rows ofgenerally cylindrical articles in side-by-side relation, comprising:

(a) opposing pairs of spaced walls hingedly interconnected to define atubular structure enclosing the ends and sides of the articles;

(b) one of the walls enclosing the ends of the articles being formed ofa pair of generally co-planar panels;

(c) said panels having corresponding outboard parts hingedly connectedto respective adjacent Walls of the carton;

(d) said panels having inboard parts interconnected and arranged to forma longitudinally disposed center retaining member extending inwardlyinto the carton, throughout the entire length of the carton, between thetwo rows of articles;

(e) said retaining member comprising a hollow structure having articleengaging and article non-engaging sections alternately spaced from eachother longitudinally of the member;

(f) the engaging sections of said retaining member each having at leastone longitudinally extending contour line out at least partiallytherethrough to accommodate the inward deflection of the side portionsof the engaging section when they are compressed between a pair ofarticles of opposed rows, so that the side portions assume the generalcontour of said articles.

5. A generally rectangular, sleeve-type carrier carton, formed from aunitary blank of foldable paperboard, for holding two parallel rows ofgenerally cylindrical articles in side-by-side relation, comprising:

(a) opposing pairs of spaced walls hingedly interconnected to define atubular structure enclosing the ends and sides of the articles;

(b) one of the Walls enclosing the ends of the articles being formed ofa pair of generally co-planar panels;

(c) said panels having corresponding outboard parts hingedly connectedto respective adjacent walls of the carton;

(d) said panels having inboard parts interconnected and arranged to format least one hollow center retaining member extending inwardly into thecarton between a pair of articles of opposed rows;

(e) said retaining member having at least one longi tudinally extendingcontour line cut at least partially therethrough to accommodate theinward deflection of the side portions of the member when they arecompressed between said pair of articles, so that the side portionsassume the general contour of said articles.

6. A carton according to claim 5, wherein said retaining member isformed entirely from one of the panels of said one wall.

7. A carton according to claim 5, wherein said retaining member isformed from portions of both of the panels of said one wall.

8. A carton according to claim 5, and including a partition flap cutfrom one of the panels of said one Wall and extending normal to said onewall into the interior of said retaining member between said pair ofarticles.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,129,843 4/64Weiss 22012 FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, Primary Examiner.

1. AN OPEN END, GENERALLY RECTANGULAR, SLEEVE-TYPE CARRIER CARTON,FORMED FROM A UNITARY BLANK OF FOLDABLE PAPERBOARD, FOR HOLDING TWOPARALLEL ROWS OF GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL ARTICLES IN SIDE-BY-SIDERELATION, COMPRISING: (A) OPPOSING PAIRS OF SPACED WALLS HINGEDLYINTERCONNECTED TO DEFINE A TUBULAR STRUCTURE ENCLOSING THE ENDS ANDSIDES OF THE ARTICLES; (B) ONE OF THE WALLS ENCLOSING THE ENDS OF THEARTICLES BEING FORMED OF A PAIR OF GENERALLY CO-PLANAR PANELS; (C) SAIDPANELS HAVING CORRESPONDING OUTBOARD PARTS HINGEDLY CONNECTED TORESPECTIVE ADJACENT WALLS OF THE CARTON; (D) SAID PANELS HAVING INBOARDPARTS INTERCONNECTED AND ARRANGED TO FORM A LONGITUDINALLY DISPOSEDCENTER RETAINING MEMBER EXTENDING INWARDLY INTO THE CARTON, THROUGHOUTTHE ENTIRE LENGTH OF THE CARTON, BETWEEN THE TWO ROW OF ARTICLES; (E)SAID RETAINING MEMBER HAVING AN INNER PORTION AND A PAIR OF SIDEPORTIONS WHICH FORMS, WITH AN ADJACENT PORTION OF SAID ONE WALL, AHOLLOW STRUCTURE HAVING ARTICLE ENGAGING AND ARTICLE NON-ENGAGINGSECTIONS ALTERNATELY SPACED FROM EACH OTHER LONGITUDINALLY OF THEMEMBER; (F) THE NON-ENGAGING SECTIONS OF SAID RETAINING MEMBER BEINGSUBSTANTIALLY TRAPEZOIDAL IN CROSS-SECTION; (G) THE ENGAGING SECTIONS OFSAID RETAINING MEMBER EACH HAVING AT LEAST ONE LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDINGCONTOUR LINE CUT AT LEAST PARTIALLY THROUGH SAID INNER PORTION TOACCOMMODATE THE INWARD DEFLECTION OF THE SIDE PORTIONS OF THE ENGAGINGSECTION WHEN THEY ARE COMPRESSED BETWEEN A PAIR OF ARTICLES OF OPPOSEDROWS, SO THAT THE SIDE PORTIONS ASSUME THE GENERAL CONTOUR OF SAIDARTICLES; (H) SAID ENGAGING SECTIONS HAVING IN EACH SIDE PORTION ALONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING OPENING DISPOSED ADJACENT SAID ONE WALL FORRECEIVING A RADIALLY OUTWARDLY PROJECTING PART OF THE RELATED ARTICLE.